Murder by Cheesecake

The next morning, Dorothy and Rose have coffee together. Rose describes Aunt Katrina’s latest revelation, and the two friends go over their recent insights. Sophia arrives, and the group struggles to recall if they know anyone matching Katrina’s description. Dorothy and Sophia are surprised when Rose explains she must find a professional clown for that day’s bachelorette party, as it is essential to the success of a St. Olaf marriage. Though she is anxious about solving the murder, even Dorothy laughs when Rose says of the clown slipping on a banana peel at her long-ago bachelorette, “you’d think he’d be more careful, working so closely with fruit” (197).

Sophia tells the group that she has organized the party at a local club, Coconuts Disco. Sophia thinks there may be locals there with connections to crime and hopes that they can gather information about Henry. Later that day, Dorothy is sad, as she discovers she has been suspended from her substitute teaching job due to her legal troubles.

The group arrives at the disco in formalwear and makeup. The club’s bouncer assumes Rose and Dorothy are a couple, but Rose misses the entendre. Nettie’s look, including lace gloves and stacked bracelets, is an homage to Madonna. As they dance, Nettie asks Rose if the case is solved. Rose wants to promise her cousin that she will take care of everything but ultimately tells her to enjoy her evening and not worry. Rose looks at the dancers and notices mostly men dancing with men and women dancing with women. She worries that her relatives will be upset to be in a gay club. Her aunt Katrina tells her that even St. Olaf has changed and has its own gay club. Katrina explains that she is only standing still because she cannot fit the choreography she knows to the music. Rose helps her, saying, “we can do the March of the Mackerel to that song” (210). While dancing, Rose feels real relief for the first time in days.

In the restroom, Rose overhears two women cryptically discussing someone named Big Sugar. Rose joins Dorothy at the bar, stunned to hear a woman nearby in a large white wig addressed as Miss Sugar. Rose excitedly tells Dorothy that this makes her a likely suspect, though Dorothy is skeptical. Big Sugar is tall and curvy, and it seems more likely Katrina would have mentioned this. Big Sugar takes the stage and asks Nettie to join her. Sugar explains to the crowd that Nettie’s bachelorette will also involve a clown. Rose is briefly overjoyed at the success of the moment, until the clown begins removing his clothing.

The next morning, the others are amused about the bachelorette party’s unexpected ending. Rose is furious at Sophia for inadvertently hiring an adult entertainer and explains that her cousin Hilde, who has never liked her, described the party to Gustave. This deepened his reservations about Rose’s wedding planning. Rose explains that Jason must meet extra requirements for Nettie to receive the trust—he must now perform a daring feat in front of a trustworthy audience. Dorothy upsets Rose when she asks if Jason is marrying Nettie for the money, and if Gustave’s doubts are rooted in his own suspicions about him. Rose insists Big Sugar is just as worthy of suspicion. The group agrees to resume their investigations. Rose answers the phone. She informs the group Nettie has just called, in tears, declaring the wedding is now canceled.

Rose finds Nettie, who is upset that Jason is more obsessed with St. Olaf’s wedding culture than her own preferences. She declares, “I’m just the ticket for him to live the pastoral fantasy he’s always dreamed of” (222). Nettie says she would be just as happy with Jason without the trust. Rose privately agrees, realizing that she loved Charlie enough that any wedding would have made her happy. When Nettie explains that Jason brushed off her concerns in favor of going shopping for fish and other wedding elements, Rose realizes she is partly responsible. She tries to calm Nettie down, but Nettie insists she is going to the airport. She will call Jason from there, and if he agrees to elope, she will know he truly loves her for herself, not anything she represents. Rose agrees but insists on accompanying her.

Rose and Nettie find Jason in the lobby. He is carrying large packages of herring for the ceremony and is confused at their departure. As they enter a dark Buick LeSabre, Rose sees Jason behind them, trying to tell them something. He jumps on a motorcycle borrowed from a nearby biker and pursues the car, clinging to the rider’s waist.

The driver angrily explains to Rose and Nettie that he works for Big Sugar and is concerned that Rose and her friends are criminals eager to disrupt the existing schemes in the area. When Rose insists they are just retired women who visited the club for the evening, the driver says, “that’s why it works so well, no one would ever suspect you” (227).

Rose notices the motorcycle gang is now surrounding the car, and Jason is riding one of them as a passenger. He grows close enough to yell to Nettie that he will rescue her. Nettie realizes the driver is hoping to hide them in the Everglades and tries to strangle him. Jason enters the car through the window and takes control of the car, wrestling the driver into his lap. After Nettie takes the wheel, Jason pushes their attacker out and brakes the car before it crashes into the swamp. Jason explains he recognized the driver as someone suspicious from the hotel. The motorcycle gang swarms up and offers Rose a leather jacket. She realizes the whole adventure has been “an act of bravery, witnessed by one Rose Nylund, and the trail of police cars soon to arrive, not to mention the motorcycle escort” (230). This meets one of the new and more stringent wedding requirements.

While Rose is away, Dorothy and Sophia search for more clues, hoping to find Henry’s address in the phone book and learn more about him. Blanche helps with the search. At the last address, they notice crime scene tape. Sophia moves behind it and urges Dorothy to do so, reminding her how unhelpful the police have been and that they are more likely to solve the crime themselves. The group searches for a way in. Dorothy is surprised to see Henry’s car still parked in the drive. Blanche points out a doggy door at the back entrance. Dorothy remembers Henry mentioned his dog, a terrier named after Jayne Mansfield, whom he often took on his boat. Dorothy worries the dog is there, and the others help her call for it.

Dorothy convinces her mother, who is small and thin, to crawl through the doggy door. She claims this will both help exonerate her and save the animal. Sophia grumbles, “I’m only doing this to keep you out of the slammer” (235). Blanche begins to panic as she hears a car, with men who seem menacing inside. Dorothy tries to hide behind an outdoor umbrella, but the approaching men, one of whom is Officer Pierno, find her. Blanche crawls out from under the porch furniture. The officers explain they are dressed in plain clothes trying to unearth Henry’s possible criminal connections. Sophia emerges and tries to explain they were merely rescuing a dog. Pierno moves Dorothy toward his car, indicating that he will report her to Detective Silva, and handcuffs her again. Before they can leave, a man in a small boat pulls up to the house’s dock. He indicates he is the owner and asks why they are there. As he approaches, Dorothy notices that “the man had rugged good looks, a deep tan, and a worried expression in his eyes. It was Henry” (240).

Dorothy notices that the man is holding a small dog, who turns to her when she calls it “Jayne.” Henry recognizes her, and Dorothy expresses her shock that he is not dead. Pierno asks him for proof of his identity, which he provides. Pierno explains that they had recently found a dead man who closely resembled Henry. Before he can explain that fingerprint evidence made him question this assumption, Henry collapses in grief. He asks if the dead man had an earring and a mole. He explains that his brother Morty was his identical twin. The other officer, Murphy, agrees to free Dorothy, as she is no longer a suspect. Henry explains that he never described his brother at length because he had a history of criminal behavior and did not want Dorothy to find out.

Henry reluctantly explains that his brother was involved in con schemes and other crimes, though he helped him move to Florida to find work. He soon realized that Morty was living far beyond his means again, a sign he had returned to crime. Henry reluctantly agrees it was possible his brother was using his romantic partners as a source of income, eventually stealing from them.

Henry explains he last saw his brother the day he had lunch with Dorothy and was unable to reach her by phone later to explain. Dorothy realizes Rose’s wedding phone calls prevented Henry from getting through. She explains that the police assumed that their unsuccessful date was her motive for murder. Henry explains that he refused to help with one of Morty’s schemes, but Morty also alluded to working for a sugar company.

Henry says his brother mentioned a boss name The General, which Dorothy thinks may refer to the General Sugar Company, which regularly sent the Bryants mail at the hotel. Henry agreed to sail away from Miami to help Morty hide from his associates. He came to Wolfie’s and found Henry there, which is why Henry was acting furtive. In the men’s room at Wolfie’s, Morty said he would meet his brother after one final job, and he would call and arrange a rendezvous if needed. Henry eventually returned to Miami to investigate. Dorothy realizes why the waitress thought Henry had changed clothes. Henry, bewildered, asks the others to explain what happened to his brother.